Despite the Thames Valley region taking Meridian's non-news regional programmes (and, indeed TVN being produced at Southampton*), I suspect it will be effectively treated as though it were a single-news-service (like Granada) "whole-region", with regard to such things as GMTV and weekend considerations, as it doesn't really sit comfortably being treated any other way.

* Is Whiteley (sp?) "an area of Southampton" or a distinctly seperate town/city (as Abingdon is to Oxford)???

Isn't there quite a lot of shared non-news regional programmes on ITV now anyway? (e.g. London and Anglia share
Luton Airport
; West and Westcountry share
How The West Was Won
, etc) Yet they're still officially considered as two regions, rather than one region with two news sub-regions.

So, I suspect that ITV Thames Valley's "official status" will be: "It's a whole, stand-alone region", and the fact that it takes some of Meridian's non-news stuff should be regarded as a
Luton Airport
-style "share".

Despite the Thames Valley region taking Meridian's non-news regional programmes (and, indeed TVN being produced at Southampton*), I suspect it will be effectively treated as though it were a single-news-service (like Granada) "whole-region", with regard to such things as GMTV and weekend considerations

They've said that weekends will be Thames Valley-specific, but I don't see GMTV wanting to pay out for an additional news service above and beyond the existing Meridian and Central pan-regionals.

Work of Artifice posted:

* Is Whiteley (sp?) "an area of Southampton" or a distinctly seperate town/city (as Abingdon is to Oxford)???

It's well outside Soton. It's off the M27 between Soton and Portsmouth. Map here.

Despite the Thames Valley region taking Meridian's non-news regional programmes (and, indeed TVN being produced at Southampton*), I suspect it will be effectively treated as though it were a single-news-service (like Granada) "whole-region", with regard to such things as GMTV and weekend considerations, as it doesn't really sit comfortably being treated any other way.

* Is Whiteley (sp?) "an area of Southampton" or a distinctly seperate town/city (as Abingdon is to Oxford)???

Whitley is basically a new housing/business development. Imo a soul-less place.
I believe it's part of Fareham - a biggish town between Portsmouth and Southampton, although as far as councils go, part of it is in Fareham and part of it is in Winchester!

When Meridian moved from Southampton a couple of years ago, they referred to it as "Whitely near Fareham"

The dispansion of the old Elstree-based BBC South East, a few years back, seemed to start a process whereby those BBC and ITV regions whose geograhical areas have traditionally differed, have started to become approximately matching.

ITV's forthcoming changes to Calendar (scrapping South; giving East a stand-alone 18:00 weekday show) will make things a little more like the BBC's Leeds/Hull regions.

So, the fact that the Hannington transmitter area will be in ITV's Thames Valley region, but (according to an e-mail reply I got from BBC Oxford) will not be in the BBC's Thames Valley region, seems a shame as it bucks the trend.

Will BBC Birmingham give up northern Gloucestershire to BBC Bristol, to match ITV's changes? If not, then a discrepency between the BBC's and ITV's WMids/West-of-England regions will remain. Again, a shame - not least of all because northern Gloucestershire viewers would presumably prefer to be part of the same region as the rest of their county (?).

Don't know wether it happened for everyone but just before the end of Central News at Six whilst covering a story about a chemical fire in Gloucester, We ended up with some foreign man being handed a glass of water & Mary Nightingale talking to him. Then a TC Clock & then unusually we joined Border's 'Lookaround' with Wesley Smith being heard as saying 'That's Border Lookaround'. Then after all that back to Hannah & Wes apologising for 'the interruption from our friends up north' and then to the evening news.

Don't know wether it happened for everyone but just before the end of Central News at Six whilst covering a story about a chemical fire in Gloucester, We ended up with some foreign man being handed a glass of water & Mary Nightingale talking to him. Then a TC Clock & then unusually we joined Border's 'Lookaround' with Wesley Smith being heard as saying 'That's Border Lookaround'. Then after all that back to Hannah & Wes apologising for 'the interruption from our friends up north' and then to the evening news.

Very Strannge & however did Lookaround end up being seen?

EDIT: The foreign man has been featured in the Evening News.

Oops just posted something about this in CNE We got the bored-looking Middle Eastern bloke too, sitting around in a studio-- it happened after Chaz's weather forecast.

So, the fact that the Hannington transmitter area will be in ITV's Thames Valley region, but (according to an e-mail reply I got from BBC Oxford) will not be in the BBC's Thames Valley region, seems a shame as it bucks the trend.

Look at it another way. I live slap bang in the middle of Hannington's service area.
Very soon my ITV programme will be 'skewed north', whilst my BBC programme is still 'skewed south'. I have no interest in what goes on in Oxfordshire, but I do with the south coast. It might well be different for another viewer. At least all Hannington viewers will have a choice of regional coverage, and that can't be a bad thing, can it ?

The dispansion of the old Elstree-based BBC South East, a few years back, seemed to start a process whereby those BBC and ITV regions whose geograhical areas have traditionally differed, have started to become approximately matching.

ITV's forthcoming changes to Calendar (scrapping South; giving East a stand-alone 18:00 weekday show) will make things a little more like the BBC's Leeds/Hull regions.

So, the fact that the Hannington transmitter area will be in ITV's Thames Valley region, but (according to an e-mail reply I got from BBC Oxford) will not be in the BBC's Thames Valley region, seems a shame as it bucks the trend.

Will BBC Birmingham give up northern Gloucestershire to BBC Bristol, to match ITV's changes? If not, then a discrepency between the BBC's and ITV's WMids/West-of-England regions will remain. Again, a shame - not least of all because northern Gloucestershire viewers would presumably prefer to be part of the same region as the rest of their county (?).

Effectively those of us in north Gloucestershire are being served by Bristol in that digital satellite and cable in Gloucester and Cheltenham both carry BBC West, not Midlands as our designated channel. Last two nights on Points West have led with the Andoversford explosion story with reporters on site.

I wrote to Bristol about the fact that analogue and digital from Ridge Hill was still carrying Midlands in Gloucestershire, and have received a holding reply fom the Head of Programmes for the West saying that in the context of the ITV change to West, the BBC are looking into it.

It has to come if ITV are doing it. has been wanted by us here in Gloucestershire for years. Recently BBC Radio Glos asked listeners which region they thought we were in. NOT ONE of the many callers said Midlands, and many referred to their frustration in not being able to get West TV through their aerials.